Pollution Of Marine Environment Research Articles

Viet Nam: Sources, Impacts and Management of Plastic Marine Debris

Marine environmental pollution caused by plastic wastes has been studied for 50 years, although that research has produced limited recommendations regarding reduction, prevention and control of such wastes. The large annual volume of such pollution e

A reusable AuNPS with increased stability applied for fast screening of trace heavy metals in edible and medicinal marine products

Heavy metal pollution in marine environment poses a severe threat to the safety of marine products and is thus causing increasingly concerns in terms of their toxicity and potential health risks pose to human. Due to the complex matrix of marine products, a fast screening method for heavy metals at trace level with low price, reusability, high accuracy and long lifetime is of urgency and necessity for consumers and processing factories. This work described a simplified screening system through the preparation, characterization and particular application of Au nano particle sensor (AuNPS) in the complex marine matrix, the main aim is to significantly increase the stability, sensitivity and lifetime of detection system dedicated to Cu and Hg trace analysis in marine products. It is worth mentioning that, the proposed screening system was characterized through electrochemical experiments and theoretical calculations, which could be a new evidence for selecting the detection system in commercially complex samples. Importantly, the discipline of deposition and oxidative stripping process on AuNPS was explained based on the mechanism of Metal Ion Deficient Layer (MIDL), and illustrated with SEM changes during stripping process, as well as the dissolving-out rate of metals on AuNPS material. Moreover, to further improve the reusability and stability of AuNPS sensor, the complex marine matrix was purified by pre-plating interferences on indium tin oxide glass electrode. The screening system exhibited a liner response in the range of 0.02–0.10 μg mL−1 for Hg, 0.01–0.10 μg mL−1 and 0.001–0.01 μg mL−1 for Cu with the detection limits of 0.138 mg kg−1 and 1.51 mg kg−1 in marine matrix, respectively. The sensitivity and lifetime was at least two times better as compared to similar works even after 20-times use. Finally, this proposed analysis system combined with purification procedure was successfully applied for the edible and medicinal marine products analysis, meanwhile, the accuracy and stability were confirmed with standard analytical methods.

Life cycle impact assessment of microplastics as one component of marine plastic debris

Plastic pollution in marine environments is a severe problem in the world due to misuse and mismanagement of the materials. Microplastics are a specific form of pollutants in this context and its handling is very difficult due to its very small size of particulates. Currently, the impacts of marine plastic debris are not considered. However, this type of particulates can be assessed like other emissions with the systematic and quantifiable approach in life cycle assessment (LCA). It was our goal to find and test first methodological approaches for including impacts of marine litter of microplastics to LCA. The Medellin Declaration on Marine Litter in Life Cycle Assessment and Management raised this issue in 2017 and called for LCA to address the challenges of marine litter. The present research paper focuses on how to integrate plastic debris impacts with focus on microplastics into LCA and gives a suggestion for an assessment approach. Based on a literature review, we considered various impacts to the marine environment of microplastics linked with their kinetics of the fragmentation and degradation. Subsequently, we developed a characterization LCA model for microplastics in the marine environment. We addressed therein the fate of microplastics and their specific eco-toxic effects to different organisms. We compared the impacts of different types of polymers as well and showed how these can be integrated in an assessment using the new characterization model. The assessment of marine litter impacts in LCA was strongly dependent on the number of microplastic particles produced from the original litter over time. These impacts were derived from measurements of the number of microparticles, their densities in the marine environment and their impacts to different organisms. The new characterization model includes the relationship between fragmentation and degradation and can be used for impact assessments within LCA. The question where we did not find a finally satisfying solution is the issue of the length of the time horizon of the assessment or the discounting. Those are regarded as subjective and are encountered with sensitivity or scenario analysis. Results from different time horizons can be aggregated to one figure or can be compared separately. Further investigations should be taken for a better understanding of this issue and for concrete solutions because their influence on the results of life cycle assessments is often fundamental.

Study on the Influence of Marine Environment Control on Industrial Structure Adjustment of Manufacturing Industry in Hainan Province

In the background of Hainan Province, this paper analyzes the dual impacts of ocean environmental control on manufacturing industrial structure upgrading and pollution Industry shift. Our studies shows that there exists a positive “U” relationship between marine environmental remediation and pollution industry migrate, industrial structure promotion. According to these two break points, the impact of ocean environmental protection on Hainan’s industrial structure regulation can be classified into the following periods: double inhibition of shift and promotion, priority of transfer and twofold promotion of shift and upgrading. Hainan is in the stage of double inhibition. Besides, in the impact of ocean environmental control on manufacturing structure upgrading, technological innovation has intermediary effects in command control, economic incentives, chemical oxygen demand and so on. Yer, this influence does not show significance in the case of cyanide regulations and ammonia nitrogen.

A baseline for POPs contamination in Australian seabirds: little penguins vs. short-tailed shearwaters

While globally distributed throughout the world's ecosystems, there is little baseline information on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in marine environments in Australia and, more broadly, the Southern Hemisphere. To fill this knowledge gap, we collected baseline information on POPs in migratory short-tailed shearwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris) from Fisher Island, Tasmania, and resident little penguins (Eudyptula minor) from Phillip Island, Victoria. Levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) were determined from blood samples, with total contamination ranging 7.6-47.7 ng/g ww for short-tailed shearwaters and 0.12-46.9 ng/g ww for little penguins. In both species contamination followed the same pattern where PCBs>OCPs>BFRs. BFR levels included the presence of the novel flame retardant hexabromobenzene (HBB). These novel results of POPs in seabirds in southeast Australia provide important information on the local (penguins) and global (shearwaters) distribution of POPs in the marine environment.

Unraveling the Role of Plastic Waste Pollution in the Amvrakikos Wetlands National Park, Greece: The Stakeholders’ Views

Plastic waste pollution in marine environments is considered a major environmental problem in coastal areas. Relative environmental problems are also recorded in protected wetlands. The National Park of Amvrakikos Wetlands, one of the largest wetlands of Greece, is studied in order to evaluate the influence of plastic waste in the protected area and its surroundings, according to the stakeholders’ views. The survey applied using the method of census addressing the key stakeholders in the area of interest and the use of a questionnaire; the data analyzed with the Statistical Package SSPS. The main findings reveal that waste management is not considered satisfactory in the broader area. Marine litter, pollution, overfishing, ecosystem degradation, agriculture and livestock activities, as well as the insufficiency of the municipal solid waste management and recycling system are listed as the most important environmental problems of the coastal area. The stakeholders’ participation is regarded as crucial for effective decision making. Therefore, special strategies should be designed involving Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to widely address the local communities and increase their awareness on the problem in order to reduce plastic waste pollution. It should be noted that environmental conditions are closely affiliated with the citizens’ quality of life.

Plutonium in Southern Yellow Sea sediments and its implications for the quantification of oceanic-derived mercury and zinc

The spatial distributions of mercury (Hg) and zinc (Zn) concentration and the isotopic composition of plutonium (Pu) were investigated in surface sediments and sediment cores collected from the Southern Yellow Sea (SYS) during May 2014. The variation of the 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio (0.18–0.31) in the surface sediments of the SYS clearly indicated a signal of close-in fallout input from the Pacific Proving Ground (PPG). The buried 239+240Pu in the sediment of the SYS was estimated to be (4.7 ± 0.5) × 1010 Bq y−1 during the period from 2011 to 2014, of which ∼33% (1.5 × 1010 Bq y−1) was derived from the PPG by long-range transport via ocean currents (e.g., the North Equatorial Current and Kuroshio Current). The concentrations of Hg and Zn varied from 0.003 to 0.067 mg kg−1 and from 43.9 to 137 mg kg−1, respectively, and exhibited positive correlations with the 239+240Pu activity both in the surface sediments (0–1 cm) and upper layers (7 cm) of the sediment cores. Therefore, by using Pu as a tracer, we estimated that the oceanic input contributed 2.0 tons y−1 of Hg and 1.0 × 103 tons y−1 of Zn to the SYS sediments between 2011 and 2014, which accounted for 33% and 3% of total buried Hg and Zn, respectively. These findings indicate that environmental pollution control should also consider the oceanic contribution of some pollutants. The results of the present work help to elucidate the biogeochemical cycling of trace metals in marginal seas, and are helpful for managing environmental pollution in marine environments.

Temporal Evolution of Bacterial Endophytes Associated to the Roots of Phragmites australis Exploited in Phytodepuration of Wastewater.

Improvement of industrial productions through more environment-friendly processes is a hot topic. In particular, land and marine environment pollution is a main concern, considering that recalcitrant compounds can be spread and persist for a long time. In this context, an efficient and cost-effective treatment of wastewater derived from industrial applications is crucial. Phytodepuration has been considered as a possible solution and it is based on the use of plants and their associated microorganisms to remove and/or transform pollutants. In this work we investigated the culturable microbiota of Phragmites australis roots, sampled from the constructed wetlands (CWs) pilot plant in the G.I.D.A. SpA wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of Calice (Prato, Tuscany, Italy) before and after the CW activation in order to check how the influx of wastewater might affect the resident bacterial community. P. australis specimens were sampled and a panel of 294 culturable bacteria were isolated and characterized. This allowed to identify the dynamics of the microbiota composition triggered by the presence of wastewater. 27 out of 37 bacterial genera detected were exclusively associated to wastewater, and Pseudomonas was constantly the most represented genus. Moreover, isolates were assayed for their resistance against eight different antibiotics and synthetic wastewater (SWW). Data obtained revealed the presence of resistant phenotypes, including multi-drug resistant bacteria, and a general trend regarding the temporal evolution of resistance patterns: indeed, a direct correlation linking the appearance of antibiotic- and SWW-resistance with the time of exposure to wastewater was observed. In particular, nine isolates showed an interesting behavior since their growth was positively affected by the highest concentrations of SWW. Noteworthy, this study is among the few investigating the P. australis microbiota prior to the plant activation.

Fenólicos totais e atividade antioxidante do extrato obtido do fungo Penicillium purpurogenum advindo de ambiente marinho poluído do Maranhão

Este artigo objetiva avaliar os fenólicos totais e a atividade antioxidante do extrato preparado do fungo Penicillium purpurogenum, obtido de um ambiente marinho poluído de São Luís-MA. A pesquisa foi realizada na Laguna da Jansen localizada no município de São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil. Foram realizadas 4 coletas do sedimento no período de maio a setembro de 2017, no período matutino. As amostras foram obtidas de uma profundidade de até 73,5 cm com auxílio de uma draga metálica. A identificação do fungo seguiu metodologias de isolamento e posterior preparo dos extratos com avaliação dos fenólicos totais pelo método de Folin-Ciocalteu e atividade antioxidante pelo método de sequestro do radical DPPH. A identificação confirmou a presença de Penicillium purpurogenum. Os extratos de P. purpurogenum variaram na quantificação de fenólicos totais de 791,00 mg EAT.g-1 para extrato FR1 e 650,82 mg EAT.g-1 para o FR2. Na atividade antioxidante, podemos verificar que o EC50 encontrados no extrato FR1 foi de 22,59 μg mL-1 e FR2 39,80 μg mL-1. Concluindo que o extrato FR2 apresentou forte atividade antioxidante enquanto que FR1 apresentou-se muito forte pelo método do radical DPPH.

Triagem fitoquímica de extrato obtido do fungo Penicillium purpurogenum advindo de ambiente marinho poluído do Maranhão

Este artigo objetiva o isolamento, identificação e triagem fitoquímica de um extrato preparado do fungo Penicillium purpurogenum, obtido de um ambiente marinho poluído de São Luís-MA. A pesquisa foi realizada na Laguna da Jansen localizada no município de São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil. Foram realizadas 4 coletas do sedimento no período de maio a setembro de 2017, no período matutino. As amostras foram obtidas de uma profundidade de até 73,5 cm com auxílio de uma draga metálica. A identificação do fungo seguiu metodologias de isolamento e identificação com triagem fitoquímica dos extratos preparados por metodologia de Matos. A identificação confirmou a presença de Penicillium purpurogenum. A triagem fitoquímica dos extratos exibiu a presença de substâncias como: fenóis, alcaloides, triterpenos, flavononas, flavonóis, catequinas, flavonóides e esteróides, sendo de interesse no estudo de atividades biológicas a serem realizadas com os extratos obtidos do fungo em estudo. Por fim, os resultados obtidos neste estudo asseguram uma classe de constituintes químicos, identificados pela triagem fitoquimica, que encorajam estudos de atividades biológicas com os extratos obtidos assegurando um potencial de aplicabilidade do bioproduto.

Countermeasures for Marine Environmental Pollution Governance: An Ecological Civilization Perspective

Chen, X. and Zheng, J., 2020. Countermeasures for marine environmental pollution governance: An ecological civilization perspective. In: Gong, D.; Zhang, M., and Liu, R. (eds.), Advances in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 106, pp. 355–358. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.The smooth implementation and development of the marine strategy cannot be separated from the protection of the marine ecological environment. With the increase of marine utilization in China, the problem of marine environmental pollution is more and more serious. Therefore, it is urgent to carry out research into countermeasures for marine environmental pollution control based on the perspective of ecological civilization. This paper first introduces the theoretical basis of marine environmental pollution control based on ecological civilization, then gives the status of the marine ecological environment in China's coastal waters, and then analyzes the status of marine ecological environment control in China. Finally, this paper gives suggestions on the specific strategies for marine environmental pollution control based on ecological civilization.

Alternative power options to reduce carbon footprint of ro-ro passenger fleet: A case study of Croatia

Emissions produced by fuel oil combustion in marine engines contribute to marine environment pollution and have a negative impact on both human health and the environment. This impact is more pronounced for ships which mostly operate near ports and inhabited areas, such as ro-ro passenger ships. The relevant legislation prescribes a reduction of carbon dioxide on account of its contribution to the problem of global warming. This paper deals with the assessment of the carbon footprint of the Croatian ro-ro passenger fleet in the Adriatic Sea and the corresponding measures to reduce it. This paper analyses a total of 27 ferry lines along the Croatian coast that produce around 29,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The analysis distinguishes two lines, Valbiska-Lopar and Vis-Split, with a significantly higher relative contribution to total emissions. The potential to introduce measures to reduce the carbon footprint on these lines is discussed. By implementing these measures, the carbon footprint of the Valbiska-Lopar line can be reduced by almost 40%, while that of the Vis-Split line can be lowered by around 27%.

Marine Microbial Response to Heavy Metals: Mechanism, Implications and Future Prospect.

Growing levels of pollution in marine environment has been a matter of serious concern in recent years. Increased levels of heavy metals due to improper waste disposal has led to serious repercussions. This has increased occurrences of heavy metals in marine fauna. Marine microbes are large influencers of nutrient cycling and productivity in oceans. Marine bacteria show altered metabolism as a strategy against metal induced stress. Understanding these strategies used to avoid toxic effects of heavy metals can help in devising novel biotechnological applications for ocean clean-up. Using biological tools for remediation has advantages as it does not involve harmful chemicals and it shows greater flexibility to environmental fluctuations. This review provides a comprehensive insight on marine microbial response to heavy metals and sheds light on existing knowledge about and paves for new avenues in research for bioremediation strategies.

The Impact of Public Participation on the Environmental Impact Assessment of Marine Engineering

Li, S.; Zhang, X., and Ding, Z., 2020. The impact of public participation on the environmental impact assessment of marine engineering. In: Yang, Y.; Mi, C.; Zhao, L., and Lam, S. (eds.), Global Topics and New Trends in Coastal Research: Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 103, pp. 479–483. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Marine engineering can bring huge economic benefits, but in the process of using marine engineering to develop marine resources, there is often excessive demand and consumption of environmental resources by the development and construction subjects, and there are endless incidents of marine environment pollution or destruction. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) of marine engineering can analyze, predict and evaluate the possible environmental impact of marine engineering, and put forward countermeasures to prevent or mitigate the adverse environmental impact. Because the marine engineering can bring huge economic benefits, and local governments need to make achievements, the environmental impact assessment often become a mere formality, or avoid the important and dwell on the trivial. By establishing reputation model and signal model, we find the public's positive attitude, extensive participation and active action in environmental impact assessment of marine engineering can prevent the EIA from being false, and make the EIA play a better role in the decision-making process.

Assessment of Marine Environmental Pollution Based on Characteristics of Orthomorphisms

Assessment of Marine Environmental Pollution Based on Characteristics of Orthomorphisms

Occurrence, trophic magnification and potential risk of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in coral reef fish from the Nansha Islands, South China Sea

As emerging persistent organic pollutants in marine environment, short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) have attracted increasing attentions recently. Coral reefs are important ocean ecosystems. However, data on SCCP pollution in the coral reef regions is still unavailable. In the present work, bioaccumulation of SCCPs in the coral reef ecosystems was reported for the first time. SCCP concentrations in coral reef fish from the Nansha Islands of the South China Sea were in the range of 37.9–25,400 ng/g lipid weight (lw) (average: 4400 ± 6590 ng/g lw; median: 1020 ng/g lw). C10 SCCPs were the dominating SCCP homologues, accounting for 59% to 80% of the total SCCPs (average: 70 ± 5.0%), followed by C11 SCCPs (average: 23 ± 4.5%). Regarding chlorine substitution, SCCPs were dominated by Cl7 SCCPs (average: 45 ± 2.5%) and Cl8 SCCPs (average: 30 ± 5.4%). Trophic magnification factor (TMF) of total SCCPs was 8.5, indicating trophic magnification potential of SCCPs in the coral reef ecosystems. In addition, a parabolic relationship was established between TMFs and log Kow of specific SCCP homologues. SCCP residues in the coral reef fish from the Nansha Islands of the South China Sea did not pose significant risk to human health.

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Battery- And Diesel Engine-Driven Ro-Ro Passenger Vessel

Emissions produced by the fuel combustion in marine engines are one of major causes of the marine environment pollution and have negative impact on both human health and the environment. That impact is more pronounced for vessels which mostly operate near ports and inhabited areas, such as ro-ro passenger ships. In order to evaluate the environmental impact of a ship, a life cycle assessment of a ro-ro passenger vessel operating in the Adriatic Sea has been performed. Two different power system designs were investigated, i.e. lithium-ion battery-driven vessel and diesel engine-driven vessel. The analyses were performed by means of general LCA software GREET 2018, where the life cycle for both power system designs is divided in two stages: constitutive parts of the first stage are processes from life cycle of fuel without its use in vessel, while vessel operation represents the second stage. The analysis showed that diesel engine-driven vessel emits 79.740 kg CO2-eq/nm, versus battery-driven vessel with 27.471 kg CO2-eq/nm.

A novel biomarker for marine environmental pollution: A metallothionein from Mytilus coruscus

As one of the key enzymes that maintain the dynamic balance of metal content in animals and take part in the process of heavy metals detoxification, metallothionein (MT) is also associated with the process of immune response. In this study, the full-length metallothionein cDNA sequence of 324 bp from Mytilus coruscus was obtained (named as McMT) with a 222bp ORF encoding 73 amino acid residues in length and its theoretical pI/MW was 7.75/7.21 kDa. Blastp showed that the deduced amino acid sequence of McMT had significant homology with metallothionein from many animals, plants and bacteria, especially with other known MT of mollusca, for example Mytilus edulis and Mytilus galloprovincialis and they fell into the same evolutionary branch. Real-time PCR was used to examine the transcript pattern of McMT in hemocyte, gill, hepatopancreas, gonad, adductor and mantle. The highest transcript level appeared in hepatopancreas, which showed its multiple physiological roles with relation to the tissue type and the maximum expression in hepatopancreas could contribute to detoxification. Under the stress of heavy metal exposure for 15 days, the time-dependent expression pattern of McMT was observed in each treated group, but the highest expression appeared at different times for various concentrations of Cu2+ and Pb2+. The temporal expression of McMT after bacteria (Vibrio parahemolyticus and Aeromonas hydrophila) challenge firstly rose and then went down, and the expression peak appeared at 4h after V.parahemolyticus infection with 40-fold and 100-fold under A.hydrophila stress at 24h. The results suggested that McMT played a significant role in antioxidation and the expression of McMT can be used as a biomarker for monitoring the situation of marine pollution.

Research on Detection and Analysis of Marine Ecological Environment Based on Big Data

Facing the integration of multi-source and heterogeneous massive data, traditional integration methods and technologies cannot be realized until the emergence of big data technology. The application of big data technology to realize the integration of multi-source heterogeneous marine environment monitoring data is conducive to the sharing of marine environment monitoring data, avoids the emergence of information islands, and provides the required data for data analysis and mining. Therefore, the thesis is based on the research of the marine environment pollution information intelligent image monitoring technology as the core, and analyses the marine environment pollution information intelligent image monitoring technology, including intelligent digital remote sensing technology, reasonable use of water quality transmitters, comparative analysis of big data, etc. Based on this, a more in-depth analysis of the testing of information intelligent image monitoring technology is carried out.

A global assessment of the relationship between anthropogenic debris on land and the seafloor

Pollution of coastal and marine environments by mismanaged anthropogenic debris is a global threat requiring complex, multilateral solutions and mitigation strategies. International efforts to catalogue and quantify the density, extent and nature of mismanaged waste have not yet assessed the heterogeneity of debris between nearby areas. Better understanding of how debris types and density can be used as a proxy between regions and between land and seafloor habitats at a global scale can aid in developing cost effective and representative debris monitoring systems. Using volunteer collected clean-up and survey data, we compared the proportion and density of both total debris and specific items across 19,428 coastal land and seafloor sites from International Coastal Cleanups and Dive Against Debris surveys, from 86 countries between 2011 and 2018. We show that although some items common on land are also common on the seafloor, there is an overall global mismatch between debris types and densities on land and the seafloor from nearby areas. Correlations in land/seafloor debris type/density occurred primarily for items which entangle and/or sink, including fishing line, plastic bags, glass and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. Minimal similarity between land and seafloor surveys occurs for items which float or degrade. We suggest that to accurately evaluate local debris density, land and seafloor surveys are required to gain a holistic understanding. When detailed information on debris type, relative concentration, and likely source and transport are assessed, more cost effective and efficient policy interventions can be designed and implemented from local through to global scales.